Hard Money Loans

How Long Do Hard Money Loans Last?

The typical time span for such loans usually last around 12 months, but the term can extend to 2-5 years. Monthly payments must be made. Payments are sometimes of only interest. Or in some cases, payments are interest and some principal, accompanied with a balloon payment required at the end of the term.

Flexible terms with private lenders has advantages. Investment property loans, commercial loans, or residential real estate loans can all benefit. You can build your cash reserves, focus on home equity and equity in the property. Whatever the rehab costs need to be addressed to increase the value of the property can be executed with hard loans. Short term loans allow for a real estate investor, like you, to not worry so much as to how you’ll repay the loan. You’ll focus on how you’ll sell your property at a lucrative purchase price. This allows you the full benefits of this type of lending.

Hard Money vs. Soft Money

You know the terminology of hard money but have you heard the phrase “soft money”? What does soft money mean and how does it compare in terms of the pros and cons?

Soft money lenders follow a more conventional loan structure as opposed to private lenders. Traditional lenders and big-name financial institutions offer soft money loans. The process is similar to those of traditional lenders like banks and credit unions. To obtain this form of a loan, you also must be in good credit standing. You’ll be subject to a credit score review and must provide proof of income, as well as your credit reports.

The application process is usually what determines a person’s decision in hard money or soft money loan, but it’s also the interest rates. With a soft money loan, you will see lower interest rates in comparison, but again, it depends on what the loan is being used for. If a short-term loan sounds like it will fit your needs, then this loan is for you. You’ll also be able to close the deal fast and without the red tape.

Hard Money and Bridge Loans

Bridge loans and hard money loans are sometimes synonymous in financing terminology. This is because the loan is based in short-term lending—bridging the gap to fulfill project and investment needs. Real estate loans are lucrative because it saves you from parting ways with a hefty amount of cash up front. This is good news if you are in the business of house flipping. With private loans, you’ll be able to focus on other essentials. Now, retirement planning, another rental property, a residential property, or commercial property won’t have to take a back seat in your finances. If you need to close a deal fast, and are always on the move in seeking out prime real estate, then a bridge loan can be the best avenue for you. If you’re a novice real estate entrepreneur, a fix and flip investment property is a popular way of getting started in real estate investing. With Gelt’s loans for real estate, a line of credit for fix and flip loans is easily achievable. For home builders, a private loan can be the most appropriate method. Especially if they are veterans in the business of property development and can turn a profit on their real estate in a short-term period.

Flexibility With Investors

Gelt Financial as your private lender is more flexible than large banking institutions. Traditional lenders insist upon making loans a by-the-book process with no accommodations. Our private money lenders can tailor a loan to meet your financial situation, as unique as it is. When you develop your relationship with your lenders, you can refinance the loan. You can also reformat your monthly payments. This flexibility is something in which banks and credit unions simply cannot offer. This is the most desirable option for many people.

How Fast Can I Get a Hard Money Loan?

There’s no set answer to this question other than “it depends.” There are different lenders who conduct their firms differently. It depends on their processes in issuing loans to new clients in terms of a time frame. Gelt Financial as a top lender is extremely efficient in issuing loans and can do so in a matter of two weeks, if not quicker than that.

If you have a previously established relationship with Gelt Financial as your lender, we can speed up the process even more. It could be within days you have access to your money. At other agencies, AI programs are sometimes utilized to calculate loans, such as Delancey Streets. But at Gelt, you’ll work with real people, with real experience.

What Can I Use a Hard Money Loan For?

Hard money loans allow for quickly borrowed capital, secured by real estate, and funded by a private money loan. With these loans, you can pay for a home, your mortgage, a business expense, real estate investments, home renovations, and a host of other investment and financial needs:

For as many ways hard money loans can be applied, there are lenders to issue them. There are lenders for business loans, construction loans, a type of commercial loan, private money lenders for residential, owner-occupied situations, private investors for real estate loans, and even no money down lenders—the list goes on. For every financial need and situation, there’s a lender waiting to fulfill the need.

House flippers, people looking to turn around a piece of real estate quickly and efficiently, opt for hard money loans. They also use the advantage of these loans to close the deal on a property fast, beating the competition. There are many lenders for real estate because the loan style is popular for property development. Investors can build a home and sell it for a profit within a short time period. These short term loans allow people with bad credit to take on business loans, construction loans, and begin real estate investing regardless of their credit history.

How is a Hard Money Loan Different?

A hard money loan, or private money loan, is different from a traditional loan because the private lender does not require a credit check. Unlike a conventional loan, hard money loans are not processed through a financial institution like a bank. Instead, they go through a private money lender who uses real estate to secure the loan as collateral. And unlike conventional mortgages, private mortgages are secured by real estate. They’re set in place by loan to value ratios (LTV ratios) at capital rates. Private lenders skirt around things like bad credit during the application process to allow for these short term loans.

Why Go For a Hard Money Loan?

There is a multitude of reasons to pursue a private loan instead of opting for a loan through a bank or credit union. The advantages are that you won’t be jumping through hoops to obtain it. Any kind of hard money loan is fast, much speedier than going through the traditional by-the-bank process. With a private loan, you’ll be set to invest in a matter of a few weeks. After establishing a relationship with your lender, verifying your banking and income information, you’ll be set to go. Unlike a traditional loan, there’s no need to be meticulous about the process.

Another prevailing reason behind hard money loans is that there doesn’t have to be a credit check. That’s why you’ll often see private lenders advertise things like “no doc loans” or “bad credit is ok” because these loans are for those who have struggled with obtaining a high credit score, or whose credit reports have been tainted in the past.

Can I Get a Hard Money Loan With Bad Credit?

Yes! One of the leading benefits for a hard money loan is no credit check. Lenders like Gelt Financial often do not require any credit documentation in concern with your financial standing. If you’re climbing out of a rough situation, even from years ago, the negatives will follow you around on your credit report for ten years, making it extraordinarily difficult to obtain a loan in the traditional sense. National private money lenders, or asset-based real estate private lenders move around the process of credit-checking or requesting credit reports, which is why a private money loan is often the best option for people struggling with poor or even mediocre credit scores.